Conroe Buying Guide: Feeding the Monster

High-Performance DDR2

The availability of high-performance DDR2 memory has dramatically increased in the last couple of months. That is understandable when you consider the introduction of AMD AM2 and Intel Core 2 Duo.

High Performance DDR2 Specifications
Manufacturer	Description (Memory Chips)	Rated Speed	Rated Timings	Rated Voltage	Cost (2x1GB)
Buffalo FireStix	FireStix PC2-8000 (Micron)	DDR2-1000	5-5-5-15	2.1V	$432
Corsair XMS2	CM2X1024-8500C5 (Micron)	DDR2-1067	5-5-5-15	2.2V	$453
Crucial Ballistix	CL1116N.LW (Micron)	DDR2-1000	5-5-5-15	2.2V	$455
Kingston HyperX	KHX8500D2K2/1G (Micron)	DDR2-1067	5-5-5-15	2.2V	$226 (2x512MB)
Mushkin Redline	2GB XP2-8000 Redline (Micron)	DDR2-1000	4-5-4-11	2.2V	$430
OCZ PC2-8000 EL	PC2-8000 EL Platinum (Micron)	DDR2-1000	4-5-4-15	2.2V	$445

We have recently reviewed the Buffalo, Crucial, and OCZ DDR2 on the 955EE Net-Burst processor. Conroe compatibility was validated with those modules and tests were also performed on the Corsair, Kingston, and Mushkin High-Performance DDR2 which were in the lab for review.

To be considered High-Performance, a memory had to be rated at DDR2-1000 or above, and the memory had to be completely stable at DDR2-1067, which will be the next official DDR2 memory speed. These 2GB kits represent the best-performing DDR2 memory you can currently buy for the Core 2 Duo or AM2 platforms.

Each 2GB kit was evaluated for the fastest memory timings that could be achieved at each standard DDR2 memory speed - DDR2-400, DDR2-533, DDR2-667, DDR2-800, DDR2-1067, and the highest 1:2 (DDR2-1067 base) memory speed that could be achieved.


Buffalo Firestix PC2-8000


It is hard to miss the bright red heat spreaders of Buffalo Firestix. Buffalo also reaches DDR2-1100 at the 2:1 (DDR2-1067) ratio, delivering performance that is on par with others in this stratospheric club.

Buffalo Firestix - 2x1GB DDR2-1000
CPU Ratio	Memory Speed	Best Memory Timings (Voltage)
(4:3)	400 DDR2	3-2-2-5 1.8V
(1:1)	533 DDR2	3-2-3-8 2.1V
(4:5)	667 DDR2	3-3-3-9 2.1V
(2:3)	800 DDR2	3-3-4-10 2.1V
(1:2)	1067 DDR2	4-4-5-14 2.3V
Highest Mem Speed (1:2)	1100 DDR2	5-5-5-15 2.35V

Corsair CM2X1024-8500C5


Corsair DDR2-1066 2GB kits have been our standard for high-performance memory since the launch of the AM2 platform. You can clearly see why we like the performance of this Corsair 2GB kit. It generally reaches the same timings as other top DDR2 in this roundup, but voltages required at each step are generally slightly lower than the average for the group. Corsair also reaches to DDR2-1104 form the 1067 ratio, which is one of the highest results we have seen from DDR2 memory.

Corsair XMS8505v1.2 - 2x1GB DDR2-1000
CPU Ratio	Memory Speed	Best Memory Timings (Voltage)
(4:3)	400 DDR2	3-2-2-5 1.8V
(1:1)	533 DDR2	3-2-2-8 2.1V
(4:5)	667 DDR2	3-2-3-3-9 2.1V
(2:3)	800 DDR2	3-3-3-11 2.15V
(1:2)	1067 DDR2	4-4-4-14 2.2V
Highest Mem Speed (1:2)	1104 DDR2	5-5-5-15 2.35V

Crucial Ballistix CL1116N.LW


The Crucial heatspreaders may be the ugliest color you have ever seen, but the performance of Crucial's Ballistix line is generally pure gold. As the retail arm of Micron, you would expect the Ballistix to be the best-of-the-best, but performance is generally toward the bottom of this top-performing group. All of the other high-performance 2GB kits made it to DDR2-1100 or higher, where the Crucial topped out around 1084. The results, in the end, are all very close, and you will never be disappointed if you do choose the Crucial - particularly if you get some of the special pricing Crucial is famous for providing at their web site.

Crucial Ballistix - 2x1GB DDR2-1000
CPU Ratio	Memory Speed	Best Memory Timings (Voltage)
(4:3)	400 DDR2	3-2-2-5 1.8V
(1:1)	533 DDR2	3-2-3-8 2.0V
(4:5)	667 DDR2	3-3-3-10 2.1V
(2:3)	800 DDR2	4-3-4-11 2.1V
(1:2)	1067 DDR2	4-4-5-14 2.35V
Highest Mem Speed (1:2)	1084 DDR2	5-4-5-15 2.35V